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An occasional column by VivaLoudoun editor Dan Sousa
(Jan. 29, 2010) - When I think of the Freedom vs. Loudoun County girls basketball rivalry and riveting recent series I quite naturally think of the Bakersfield, Calif. Hort Elementary School PTA Haunted House of 1974 and of course the famous Ali vs. Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle" and then again that rusty nail that cut my arm and that Tetanus shot that I really didn't want to get.
Wait! I'm not saying that watching the Eagles and Raiders -- both VHSL state champions last season which is quite mind-boggling -- is a pain ... far from it. It just reminds me of great rivalries that make sports the drama and pleasure that it is.
Dan: please be kind and rewind (does anybody still know what that means!) and what in the world do a PTA Haunted House have to do with basketball in Loudoun!?!
Sorry ... lets go back to almost the start ... great rivalries. I was 11 in 1974 and Oct. 30 was the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" between boxing legends Muhammad Ali and George Foreman (way before he was pitching grills and just plain grilling all comers in the ring). That was the day before Halloween and we were finishing my elementary school's Haunted House (scary!).
Ray Maples my sixth grade teacher and coach in every sport -- this guy was the Amos Alonzo Stagg for elementary school kids in an era when we had after school sports teams in fourth, fifth and sixth grade -- had the radio on to listen to the fight and it was dramatic ... not even the rusty nail could take my attention away from the fight and my shot would have to wait until after Ali's incredible knockout.
And that is what sports is all about to me, just great drama and unscripted events that you not only can't predict but get the joy of watching unfold.
Take Friday's Loudoun County's 57-40 win over Freedom. The Eagles came in owning the series of late, having won five straight including a convincing win in December.
Kevin Reed's Raiders (Reed's Raiders ... sounds like a TV show from the 1950s) had all the motivation on their side. A win for Freedom would be a mortal lock on a second straight Dulles District title for the South Riding side but a win by Loudoun County would open up the race and give LC control of winning at least a share of the title.
And in the Dulles District, teams really do share banners. If two finish tied for the district lead ... both schools proudly get to display championship banners and a one-game special playoff is held only for district and region tournament seeding purposes.
LC knew exactly where that district title banner could go as there was a "hole" or missing piece in the large banner display on the Raiders gym wall that shows all district titles since the school opened as Loudoun's first comprehensive high school in 1954.
That missing rectangle or banner had to be a sore point with the Raiders. Heck, here they were VHSL Division 4 state champions ... and no Loudoun school -- save for Freedom also last year! -- ever had that honor of wearing a state championship ring for basketball but there wasn't a district title banner in place from the dream season. That banner was hanging in a spanking new gym in South Riding and was one of ... oh, one total banners under district champions for the school that opened in 2005.
"Everybody was talking about how we hadn't beaten them and we wanted to fill in the rectangle," said Loudoun County senior Kendra Holmes.
When Freedom opened a 14-6 first quarter lead Friday it appeared as if that rectangle was going to have to be filled in by another Raider program but on the way to a sixth straight win in the series, Freedom ran into foul trouble and maybe more importantly a determined and gritty Raider squad that just refused to lose on its home court.
Alissa Kain and Holmes supplied senior leadership. Kain with a huge 3-pointer in the first when it looked like the LC offense might be AWOL. Holmes, who like an Ali or Foreman, looks tough enough to toss a jab or two, went down low to rebound and muscle her way to baskets and also showed the grace and skill to run the ball at point on fastbreaks.
Then there was junior sharpshooter Brittany Batts, one of the top scorers in the state, and when she was held to three points at the half and LC trailed by only four, Reed and Co. had to feel good because like all great scorers, Batts will find a way to get her points and she did with two big 3-pointers in the third quarter as LC took over and then 10 points in the final quarter to finish with 21.
"That first 3-pointer I made I had my feet set. In the first half I was rushing it. I needed to settle down," said Batts who not only is a great scorer but her coach, Reed, claims she is an unbeatable HORSE player as well
(Trust me sports fans, I am going to challenge her to a game of HORSE before this season is out! I was unbeatable in HORSE at her age but then again my best shots were all on my dirt -- potholes included -- semi-paved -- concrete in the paint and baseline only -- home court where my best HORSE shots were: off the palm tree stump -- it's a "California Thing"; fadeaway while bouncing off the above-ground-pool placed six inches from the court -- thanks dad; and the classic shoot-from-eight-rungs-up-the-ladder-laying-against-the-back-fence-while-jumping-and-try-not-to-snap-your-ankle-as-the-ball-swishes-through-the-hoop ... naturally. I'm sure in the Raiders gym I'll be lucky to even place an "H" on Batts)
Holmes also had 10 in the final quarter and finished with 17.
"The last time we let them control the game the whole time," said Holmes.
Meanwhile Freedom was struggling from the field in the second half and appeared to have more players fouling out than buckets. Center Kelsey Buchanan with great positioning down low early in the game had seven points in the first quarter but finished with just 13 and Dionna Scott, who can score just as fast as Batts, had seven in the first half but only three in the second half.
The Eagles were hurt by point guard Jessica Escorza fouling out with 4:58 still to play and the Raiders scrambling second half trapping defense, which forced the Eagles too far away from the paint to run their offense efficiently, forced turnover after turnover.
And key for LC was sophomore Jenna Strange who as a freshman I thought of as "talented runner Julie Strange's little sister." But after her play in the state title run last year for the Raiders in basketball, I thought of her as a basketball player first who "also played volleyball" but then after how she played in the Raiders state volleyball title in the fall, I thought of her as a volleyball player first who also "happened to play basketball" but then after watching her Friday ... I'm just thinking ... this girl -- with three state titles already (!) can play whatever sport she want to. And play it well. At least one veteran hoops observer in the stands Friday thought Strange was the most talented player on the floor at times ... and that includes both teams -- each basically fielding three upperclassmen that will play college ball!
Now I'm not rooting against other teams the remainder of the season ... I never do and in fact, I'd love to see the Dominion girls notch a victory (sorry opponents but the Titan deserve a win), but I have to admit, the prospect of Freedom vs. Loudoun County Part III in a special one-game playoff. Now that sounds good.
"It will be a lot crazier than this one," said Holmes at the thought of a one-game playoff.
And how about Freedom vs. Loudoun County Part IV in the Dulles District tournament finals ... are you kidding me, I still remember that Kain buzzer beater from two years ago! Bring it on.
OK, then with both teams now Division 4 ... instead of them both winning regional titles ... how about Loudoun County vs. Freedom Part V in the Region II D4 finals ... You betcha! I've already booked my table at the nearest Ruby Tuesday's to Orange County High School where it is always Karoke Night!
And ... why not go crazy. Loudoun County vs. Freedom Part VI in the VHSL D4 state finals which could happen as the two Region II teams this year are on opposite sides of the bracket. Now, that, y ... not even a rusty nail or even a well-aimed nailgun would keep me away from that match-up.
This is after not just "another basketball game" ... I'll let Batts close things with how she felt during the day Friday, especially with the threat of some weather that could have postponed the big night.
"The whole day at school I was just pumped up. I was afraid they were going to cancel it," said Batts who left the gym with family and this feeling: "It feels so good to beat them."
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